Feeding America

Peter Panyiotou, www.panayiotou.com

Albert Gonzalez

Online User Support Specialist

Working in corporate America for 15 years, Albert Gonzalez didn’t think of hunger as a problem in the U.S. But after learning about the nearly 50 million Americans living in food insecure households, Albert realized a career at a nonprofit would give him the fulfillment he needed. Albert now works in the IT department at Feeding America, the leading hunger relief organization in the country.

How did you first become interested in Feeding America?
I worked in IT for a long time, but September 11th changed the IT industry completely, and I was laid off. I then realized I had options for my career: I wanted to find a deeper meaning to life and work somewhere I could make a difference. I started to look into nonprofits, and heard about Feeding America from a friend. Truthfully, at that point I realized how ignorant I was about hunger in the U.S. Now I’m helping to solve the problem.

What is your favorite service offered?
Selfishly, because I work on it, the Choice System. The Choice System is a web-based application that allows members to acquire product donations made available through the national office. I’ve been working with it for five years and I’m involved in all aspects of it.

What perception of Feeding America do you want others to have?
When I started working with Feeding America, there was a stigma associated with working for nonprofits, that it may not be as rewarding as the corporate world. I now know better and disagree. In the nonprofit world, I have found personal gratification, talented and very diverse colleagues, and a family-like atmosphere with people that care about their jobs and care about the mission. I am no longer making the rich richer. I am Feeding America! And there’s nothing more attractive and important to me than that.